Peter W. Shor

From August 15-26, 2005 the IMA will host an intensive short
course designed to efficiently provide mathematicians the basic
knowledge prerequisite to undertake research in quantum
computation. The course will be taught by Peter
Shor, Professor of Mathematics at MIT and Alexei Kitaev, Professor of Physics and
Computer Science, Caltech. The primary audience for the course
is mathematics faculty. No prior background in quantum
computation is expected. Participants will receive full travel
and lodging support during the workshop.

Course
content and structure. The course will begin with an
introduction to quantum mechanics and quantum computation. Then
it will pursue two tracks: quantum algorithms and error
correction led by Peter Shor, and topological quantum
computation, led by Alexei Kitaev. A typical day during the two
weeks course will consist of two general lectures, one by the
principal speakers in the morning, each one-and-a-half hours in
duration. Afternoons will be used for topical lectures by guest
speakers, and for problem solving and brain-storming sessions.

Application and selection procedure. The IMA New
Directions Short Courses will be limited to 25 participants.
All successful applicants will be funded for travel and local
expenses. Please see the IMA reimbursement policy for details
about airfare. Applicants are required to submit a curriculum
vita and a statement about their interest in the course, its
place in their future research plans, and its expected impact
on their research and teaching. A committee consisting of the
course instructors and IMA directors will select the
participants from among the applicants. Application deadline has passed.